


A New Start in the Current Time

by TabbyWolf



Series: Hope will never die [8]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Angst with a Happy Ending, Babies, Existential Crisis, F/M, Gen, Wanting a child, more tags to be added later, the end of the clone war, this is still pretty fluffy don't let the other tags fool you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23065306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TabbyWolf/pseuds/TabbyWolf
Summary: After the Sith is dead, the Seperatist Union starts to fall apart. A few more battles should be enough to end the warMeanwhile, Jaig is trying to find her place in the universe now that the war is at an end and everything will be different from her own time.Anakin is working on his new role as a stay-at-home dad while Padmé is trying to grant all clones sentient rights and republic citizenshipRex and Ahsoka are trying to figure out what to do with their lives after the war.
Relationships: Ahsoka Tano & Jaig (OC), CT-7567 | Rex & Jaig (OC), CT-7567 | Rex/Ahsoka Tano, background Padme Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Hope will never die [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1400095
Comments: 62
Kudos: 83





	1. Return to Coruscant

Rex was standing between Jaig and Ahsoka in front of the closed door that the ramp would connect to. The Venator that had taken them back to Coruscant was currently docking in the Coruscanti shipyard, and General Skywalker was waiting for them.

Ahsoka seemed to be particularly excited to be returning home, probably because she knew she didn't return here in the old timeline. Jaig seemed honestly pretty nervous about the whole ordeal. Leaving Mandalore had been stressful enough as it was, considering that they had to hurry back home for some reason while still dealing with what was left of Deathwatch. But for her, it was leaving her home. Possibly permanently, depending on where they'd end up living.

"What do you think got her so excited?" Rex whispered to Jaig.

"I don't know." Jaig whispered back "She's been like that since yesterday"

The ramp started doors opened and revealed General Skywalker and Senator Amidala holding two small bundles.

Ahsoka ran up the ramp towards her former master and started looking at the bundle in her master's arms, and then she quickly moved on to the one Senator Amidala was holding.

Rex walked up the ramp, followed by Jaig. When they reached General Skywalker the bundle in his arms moved.

Then, he realized what it was. A baby.

And there was another one in Senator Amidala's arms.

"Sir... Are those yours?" he asked.

"Yes. Didn't Ahsoka tell you?"

Rex looked at Ahsoka, who was being handed the infant that Senator Amidala had been holding.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you" she said "I was too busy getting here as fast as possible"

Rex sighed. They hadn't had a chance to talk in the ship either, they had slept through the whole trip since that would disturb their sleep schedules the least.

"Well, congratulations General"

"Thanks Rex. But you don't have to call me General anymore"

"And why is that, sir?"

"I'm resigning. I'm going to be a stay at home dad. I'm giving the 501st to Ahsoka until you guys get sentient rights"

"That's... unexpected. But I'm happy for you, Sir"

"Anakin" the General corrected him.

"I'll need some more time for that" Rex admitted.

"Alright. Do you want to hold Luke?"

"Who's Luke?" Rex asked.

The general just removed a layer of cloth from the bundle, revealing a small baby. He was paler than his baby brothers had been, and significantly balder. The small thing opened his blue eyes and looked at Rex curiously.

"I don't know how" Rex admitted.

"Just mirror the way I'm holding him and I'll put him in your arms"

Rex did as instructed and the General handed him Luke.

He looked at the small child. His head was kind of wobbling like his neck wasn't strong enough to hold it up.

Ahsoka came over, holding the other baby a lot less awkwardly.

"You're a natural at this" Rex commented at how relaxed the baby in her arms was.

Ahsoka laughed. "I'm not. I used to babysit the crèche when I was an initiate"

"What's an initiate?" Jaig asked.

"It's a Jedi who just started training" Ahsoka explained. "When we're taken in by the order, we go to the crèche until we're old enough to learn to go to school. Then we become younglings, and we learn basic life skills. After that, when we're old enough, we become initiates. That's when we learn to use the force and build a lightsaber. After that we become padawans when a Master chooses to take us"

Rex wanted to ask what happened if you weren't chosen, but then he realized something.

"Are... Are you going to take Jaig?"

The General looked at Jaig and then back at Rex. "Why would we?"

"No, I don't mean this one. I mean, in four years. When she's born. Are the Jedi going to take her?"

Ahsoka looked at him in shock. She clearly hadn't considered it.

Skywalker sighed. "Honestly, I don't know the details. You'll have to ask Obi-Wan for those. But we- I mean they don't take children by force"

"My parents had a choice, but they considered it an honour" Ahsoka said before she turned to Jaig to let her see Leia too.

"Most families have a choice. But there are some exceptions" the General added.

"When would that happen?" Rex asked

"If the child is out of control. Force sensitive children can be dangerous to non-Jedi" the General said.

"How?" Rex asked.

"Offer Luke your finger"

Rex did as he was told and the baby grabbed the tip with his tiny fingers and Rex melted.

"Cute, isn't it?" Skywalker asked.

"Yeah..." Rex said, forgetting his formalities completely.

"Well, when he figures out how to grab things with the force, he might try to grab your throat. And he won't understand that that could kill you. He won't understand what killing is. And you won't be able to pry the force off your throat. At least, not with your hands. Usually, they let go after you go unconscious. But those parents usually have to bring their children to the order, or risk getting choked again"

Rex was flabbergasted. He genuinely hadn't considered how dangerous the force could be in the hands of someone who couldn't control it properly.

"Dad?" Jaig said "If it makes you feel any better, you didn't know this in my timeline and it turned out fine"

"And I can save you," Ahsoka said "Prying force chokes off of people is one of the things you learn while watching the crèche. They aren't that strong either"

"Alright," Rex said, turning to Jaig "Would you have wanted to go?"

"To be honest, no. I'd rather have stayed with my family"

"Alright. Then we'll just turn the Jedi away" Rex said.

He turned back to Luke. The small infant was still holding Rex's fingers and started turning his face into Rex's cuirass.

"What's he doing?" Rex asked as the baby put is mouth on the weathered plastoid.

"Oh, he's hungry" Senator Amidala said "I'll take him back now"

Rex handed the infant back to his mother, who took him away, presumably to feed him.

"I kinda want one now" Ahsoka said.

"Yeah... not going to happen" General Skywalker said "That's my baby. You can watch her whenever we need a babysitter though"

Ahsoka just rolled her eyes at her former master "I meant my own"

She turned to Jaig "Do you want siblings?"

"I kind of do" Jaig admitted "I mean, I was fine without them. But I was always a bit jealous that dad had so many siblings. After I found out about them obviously"

"After you found out?" Rex asked.

Jaig nodded. "You didn't tell me you were a clone until I was old enough to keep quiet about it. I was seven when I found out you and mom had fought in a war, ten when I found out you were a clone, and 12 when you showed me a picture of you and your brothers"

"Oh... Okay. That makes sense I guess. But you could have had a younger sibling, right?"

Jaig shook her head. "You didn't want any more children. You were already in your mid thirties when you had me, and it took 4 years for me to happen. The chance of me getting a sibling before you became too old to watch them grow up was too small anyway. There wasn't even a guarantee that you'd live to see me graduate highschool. You were in your mid sixties when you died."

"Oh... Okay. I need a moment." he said as it finally got through to him how much of a difference his accelerated ageing would make.

He walked away from the group, to one of the maintenance platforms.

 _How had he never done the math on this?_ he thought as he looked over the hull of the Venator he had just left.

He had always considered Ahsoka to be approximately his age. Sure, she was technically a bit older than him, but also a bit younger, so he left it at that.

And he never really felt like an adult. He was only decanted about thirteen to fourteen years ago, after all. That would make him twenty-six to twenty-eight. There was already a ten year age difference between him and Ahsoka, and it'd only get bigger.

He wouldn't be able to grow old with her. He'd die before she was fifty and he hadn't even thought about it because the idea of life after the war had always been so abstract.

But now... Now it was becoming real. Now that he could no longer treat it as a fantasy he had to distract himself from the high chance that his number would be on the casualty list someday.

And now, he was here, at the end of the war that had been his life's purpose, watching his brothers unpacking and returning to their barracks. Possibly for the last time.

Where would they go? Where would he go? What would happen now?

Was the war really over?


	2. What to do Post-War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war is ending, but what will happen to the clones now?

Rex was sitting in the barracks playing cards with his brothers and daughter when General Skywalker knocked on the door with his signature metallic clank.

"Rex? The 212th is returning from Utapau. Do you want to come greet them?"

Rex immediately put his hand down and got up. "Of course"

Jaig smiled to herself. She knew this wouldn't have happened in her time line, and seeing the smile on her fathers face convinced her that she had done the right thing.

"Can I come too?" She asked.

"Of course," Rex said "I'm sure Cody would love to see his favourite niece"

Jaig got up and followed her father to the docking area.

The Negotiator was just docking in the hangar when the three of them arrived at the shipyard.

"I haven't told Obi-Wan about anything yet. This should be interesting"

Rex just sighed.

The ramp attached to the hull and the doors of the Venator opened, revealing Cody and General Kenobi.

"Obi-Wan! You're back!" General Skywalker said.

"You've certainly improved your manners"

Cody still snapped to attention and saluted General Skywalker.

"Cody, you don't have to do that" Skywalker said "I'm no longer a General."

"Anakin, what did you do?" Kenobi asked.

"I gave Ahsoka the 501st and I'm resigning from the Jedi Order"

Kenobi sighed with relief "I'm happy for you if you are, Anakin. But could you let me rest first?"

"The war is over, you can rest whenever you want now. I need to introduce you to my children"

_"Your WHAT?"_

Cody just sighed as Skywalker pulled Kenobi away from the conversation to meet the little monsters.

"The war is over?" Rex asked Cody "Why weren't we informed of that?"

Cody shrugged "We've only known since we hit atmo. And it's not over-over yet. But the CIS has agreed to negotiate, so things are looking good"

"That's good to know" Rex said "Do you have any plans for after the war?"

"I... I don't have any. I've vaguely considered teaching hand to hand. General Kenobi said that's an actual job." Cody shrugged again "Do you have any plans?"

"I... I don't know. I could pick up my life from the future. But I'm not sure I want that. I picked that life because I had no other options. I want to look at my options first" 

"What about you, Jaig? Do you have any plans?" Cody asked.

"I was thinking of just going to college if that's still an option"

"Why wouldn't it?" Cody asked "You made it to ARC Trooper"

"Just like you said I would" Jaig remembered, before realizing she might be better off not mentioning the broken version of her uncle that had helped her escape the Imperial Academy on Lothal all those months ago. "I mean, I know. But I haven't graduated high school"

"What does that mean?" Cody asked. Rex paid attention as well, this seemed important to her.

"It's basically the same as trying to get into ARC training without completing the final challenge of basic training"

"So you can just get Rex to pull a few strings and you'll be good to go?" Cody joked.

Jaig laughed "No, I'd need to deal with the Republic itself for that. And from what I've heard, they're not exactly pleasant when you have to do paperwork with them"

"I'm sure they'll help you after what you've done for them" Rex said.

"It's a government" Jaig said "But I suppose they would help me out with going to college. It would help me adapt to being an adult"

"Assuming the war is going to end" Cody noted "We still aren't entirely sure how the negotiations will work"

"Let's hope for the best and prepare for the worst" Rex said

Cody nodded in agreement.

* * *

Ahsoka knocked on the door to Padmé's apartment. She didn't have to wait for an answer for long, Anakin opened the door immediately.

"Hey Snips, what's up. Did you come to see the babies again?"

"No, I have a question for Padmé"

"She's busy introducing Obi-Wan to Luke and Leia, but if it's nothing too personal I'm sure she wouldn't mind an extra guest"

"No, it's not private. I need to know what's going to happen to the clones if the negotiations are successful"

Anakin looked shocked. "I... I hadn't thought about that. Kriff. The twins were taking up so much of my time and... Let's just ask Padmé"

He let her in and walked to the living room were Obi-Wan was playing with Luke while Leia slept in her mothers arms.

"Padmé, Ahsoka is here. And she has a very important question."

Both Padmé and Obi-Wan looked up. Ahsoka took a deep sigh before asking her question.

"What is the Republic going to do with all the clone troopers if the negotiations are successful?"

There was silence in the room for a few moments.

"I... I don't know, Ahsoka" Padmé admitted. "We haven't come to a decision yet."

"What are the ideas currently being proposed?"

"Well, it's complicated. And sadly, a lot of senators are more concerned with the financial implications than with seeing the clones as human beings."

"Kriff." Anakin said "What does that mean for them?"

"Well, they aren't wrong to consider it. The clone army was expensive, and it left the Republic in massive debt. We can't ignore that, even though the clones lives are more important in my opinion."

"So, what proposals are being considered?" Ahsoka asked

"The worst one is just euthanising all of them." Padmé said "Luckily, only a few are in favour of this. It's unlikely to happen"

"Thank the force" Ahsoka said, relieved her worst fear wasn't confirmed.

"However, some of the other plans aren't good either" Padmé said "One of them is to make them clean up their own mess. They'd essentially be trained as construction workers and such, and they'd be used to rebuild the Republic."

"That sounds like slavery" Anakin said

"Yes, and this one is met with very mixed reception. Ironically enough, the separatist politicians are all against it. They all think it was a disgrace that the republic used an army of actual human beings, and they won't consider rejoining the Republic if we don't better ourselves. So this one won't pass either and we'll probably make the droid army rebuild"

"Pretty bad that the separatists are the pro-clone ones here" Ahsoka scoffed.

"Yes. But most of them aren't bad people. Palpatine really did his best to drive them away from the Republic." Padmé sighed.

"So, what are the likely options here?"

"Aside from my plan to give them all sentient rights and let them chose their own life, there have been talks of putting the clones in stasis until we need an army again, though some people say we should keep them as an army."

"What would we need an army for now that the clone war is over?" Anakin asked.

"One of the reasons that a lot of separatist systems seceded was because the republic was demilitarized and couldn't send an army in case it was needed. It's one of the reasons the Hutts became so big."

"Couldn't they make they own army?" Anakin asked, indignantly.

"No, Anakin" Obi-Wan said "The Republic didn't allow that. That was the whole point"

"Okay, but you just said the clone army was too expensive to keep" Ahsoka said.

"Yes." Padmé said "That's why we'd lower the production on Kamino to what we need and nothing more"

"I don't think that'll work" Obi-Wan said "The Kaminoans are almost out of DNA, and second generation clones are prone to mutations"

"I think we should give them sentient right but also keep the GAR" Ahsoka said

"What do you mean?" Padmé asked "We can't do both, we can't afford to pay all the clones, as much as I'd want to"

"No, but we could if we make it a choice. If we give them all a taste of civilian life, and then let them decide if they want to stay in the army or not, that could work" 

"That sound like a good idea. But so far, the stasis idea seems to be very popular as well"

"Then we'll need the public" Anakin said "I'm the hero with no fear. I bet I can sway public opinion if I tried. The clones did most of the work anyway. I'll make sure to let everyone know how important they are when I publicly announce my resignation"

"That sounds like a good plan, Anakin" Padmé said.

"Let's hope is doesn't end like your other plans" Obi-Wan joked.


	3. Talking to the Press

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A month after the Siege of Mandalore, the 501st and 332nd are send to Geonosis. Since this will most likely be the last battle of the clone wars, the press has decided to cover it in detail
> 
> General Skywalker also has an announcement to make

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: a month has passed between chapters

The sun was setting over the shipyard where they had all gathered. Both the 332nd and the 501st were lined up while the cams were rolling. Rex and some of the other clones from the first batch remembered another time they had stood like this.

At the beginning of the war, they had posed for a similar propaganda clip at the shipyard. Back then, they had their shiny, white Phase I on. Back then, almost four years ago now, the war had only just started.

Now, it was ending and they were lined up for the last battle and some journalists were there to cover this historical event. They were wearing their old, worn armour. They had even dirtied it up a bit more to show the damage to it a bit better, since all the scratches stood out.

"And cut" the journalist said. "Thank you, Captain"

"No problem" Rex said. He liked the journalists that were filming. They were selected by Senator Amidala, and had been made sure that they would treat the clones as humans. He'd been filmed for propaganda before, but this time it wasn't to show off his battle skills. He'd actually be allowed to answer whatever he wanted during the interview they were going to do soon. But first, General Skywalker would make an announcement.

"Are you guys ready to film the next part?" the camerawoman asked.

"Yeah, I don't see why we wouldn't be"

"In case you needed a break or something. You've been standing like that for some time. That can't be comfortable"

Rex chuckled "It's been ten minutes. We're used to standing in parade rest much longer"

"Well, okay then. General, are you ready to give your speech?"

"Yes, I am." General Skywalker said.

The camera's started rolling and General Skywalker started his speech. Rex was kind of amused at the formality of it all. The General never gave speeches like this unless it was for propaganda purposes.

"As you all know, a lot has changed in the month since the 322nd returned from Mandalore. Most of the Confederacy of Independent Systems has started negotiations to rejoin the Republic after Chancellor Palpatine was uhm... _removed_ from office and temporarily replaced by Bail Organa, at least until a new Chancellor can be elected. However, not all Separatist systems want to rejoin us"

Rex had honestly not expected them to. He hadn't expected any of the Separatist systems to come back. But then again, he hadn't started to think about the end of the war until after Jaig had shown up.

"Geonosis is adamant that they want to continue the war, since they think they can win based on the fact that they produce the droids faster than the Kaminoans produce our troops."

They were right, and Rex knew it. The Kaminoans had let clones graduate faster to make up for the casualties as early as a few months into the war, when they'd let Fives, Echo, Hevy, Cutup and Droidbait graduate six months early even though they hadn't been ready. It... hadn't gone well. And some of his even younger brothers graduated even earlier. Tup and Dogma had been 17 when they joined the 501st. And the current shinies were 16. They really couldn't afford to graduate them even younger. They really wouldn't make it. The armour wouldn't even fit. Even though the Separatists were falling apart and rejoining the Republic, Geonosis was still a very real threat.

"So, with the support of both the Republic Senate and the Separatist Senate, you ship out tomorrow to Geonosis to address the problem at the source: the droid factories."

 _"You?"_ Rex thought, tilting his bucket. He wasn't the only one, most of the clones had noticed that General Skywalker had switched from "we" to "you".

"I say you, because I will not be coming with you this time"

Rex honestly hadn't expected that. Both battalions were murmuring now, but the General motioned for them to be quiet.

"I know that this may come as a shock to you, but I have two small children. Luke and Leia need me. You don't. Commander Tano and Marshal Commander Rex are more than capable of leading this mission without me"

This time, the crowd fell quiet. They were all stunned. _Marshal Commander?_ What was the General thinking? That was a big promotion from Captain. Not that he wasn't up for the task. But he now outranked everyone, including Ahsoka, who had been demoted to regular Commander from Jedi Commander when she left the order.

"Skywalker out" he said as he gave them a lazy salute and started walking away. The camera's stopped rolling and Rex ran after Skywalker.

"Sir, what the hell was that?" Rex asked, pulling off his helmet.

"Exactly what it looked like. I'm resigning."

"You can't leave us like that!"

Fives came running up to him as well.

"Yeah, no offence General, but that's a _dick move_ "

"I know, Fives. But I had to"

"Why? Because of your children? It's not like Senator Amidala can't afford a baby sitter. She has her handmaidens too" Rex said

"I know, I know. But I needed to do something dickish to stop being the Republic's poster boy. I've been in the spotlight since the beginning of the war. You guys deserved that spotlight. So I'm giving it to you"

"Oh... That makes sense." Fives said.

"But why the sudden promotion?" Rex asked.

"It was long overdue"

"Why didn't you discuss this with me beforehand?"

"I didn't?" the General asked.

Rex just shook his head.

"Oh... Sorry. I'm... really forgetful when it comes to promotions"

"I've noticed" Rex sighed. "Alright then. I'll lead the men without you"

"Thank you, Rex" Skywalker said as he put his hand on his shoulder "For everything"

"Thank you for leading us, General"

"Anakin," the General corrected "I'm no longer your General"

"I'll still need more time to get used to that" Rex admitted.

"Alright, take your time" Skywalker said before walking away, leaving him alone with the journalists.

"Sir?" one of the reporters asked "Are you ready for the interview?"

"Yeah" He said. He didn't feel prepared, but he knew he was allowed to improvise and be honest this time.

* * *

The interview took place in the barracks. They had asked to be given a tour first, and Rex had shown them the sleeping hall they had cleaned beforehand. It wasn't GAR levels clean, they had made it look like someone lived there, but they had stuffed all the contraband they'd actually get in trouble for away. So the walls were lined with posters of starfighters and tanks instead of the usual... stuff.

Fives, Echo, Tup and Ahsoka had been interviewed already. He was watching Jaig's interview now.

'So... Why did you decide to join the army?"

"Both my parents were killed when Deathwatch took over Mandalore. Killed by Vizla's men" she lied "I knew they were backed by the Separatists, so I decided to join the fight against them."

Rex was glad she didn't tell them about how much alcohol had been involved in that decision.

"So how did you make it to ARC Trooper?" the journalist asked.

This was gonna be a tough one to lie about.

"Well, if I'm honest. I think I mostly go the promotion because I'm used to being more independent. I wasn't used to fighting as part of larger group. The promotion was to allow me to do what I was good at"

Rex smiled. He was so proud of her.

"How do the clones treat you?"

"They are good comra-" Jaig got out before Fives cut her off.

"She's the sister we never had"

"Isn't it weird to have someone so different from all the other soldiers around?" the reporter asked Fives.

"No Ma'am." Fives said "We're all individuals anyway. It's a bit weird that she's allowed her own quarters, but we all understand nats need a bit more privacy"

"Alright. Thank you for your time" the reporter said before turning to Rex.

"How do you feel about having her here?"

"I'm glad she joined. Honestly, I admire that she chose to fight with us when she didn't have to"

"Do you ever feel like you were forced to fight for the Republic?"

Rex sighed "Honestly, I don't know. We all have mixed feelings about the war. It's not like we know anything else. We were made for this, and letting go of having a purpose will be hard. But I'm looking forward to it as well"

"Would you have joined up if you hadn't been a clone?" she asked

"I don't know. I wouldn't have been me if I wasn't a clone. Would you have fought for the Republic if you were a clone?"

The reporter fell silent. After thinking for a moment, she said "I think I would have. But did you guys have a choice?"

"No, we didn't. But I understand why we weren't given one. If we hadn't been there, the Republic would probably have to draft an army of much less competent soldiers. The casualty rate would have been through the roof, and I doubt they could have won. It was probably better this way"

"How do you feel about that?" the woman asked sheepishly. Rex knew she had to ask all the questions on her sheet, even though he had already answered that one.

"Honestly, I don't really care that I never had a choice. I understand that it was better for everyone this way, and the past can't be changed anyway. All I care about now is our future. I really hope we can enjoy the peace now that the fighting is over"

"Do you have any plans?"

"I don't know yet" he lied "I'll need to see what's out there first"

"And how do you feel about this last battle?"

"I'm looking forward to it" Rex said. "I'm honoured that the Republic chose me and my men to end this war"

"And we're thankful for everything" the reporter said.

* * *

That evening, the engines of the Resolute hummed as they left Coruscant. Rex didn't pay attention to it though. He and Ahsoka had decided to take the quarters that General Skywalker had left and lock themselves in for the next hour or so.

Now, she was lying in his arms.

"Today was a weird day" she said.

"Yeah, it really was." Rex whispered into her montral "I outrank you now"

"Yeah, I know. It's weird" she said.

"Do you need some practice taking orders from me?" he asked.

"What did you have in mind?" she purred.

In response, he bucked his hips into her.

"Another round?"

"If you're up for that" he said.

"Make me" she said, playfully baring her teeth at him.

He smiled and rolled her around so he was on top.

He kissed her deeply. Tomorrow, they'd fight the last battle of the clone wars.

But tonight, it was just the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading


	4. The Last Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last battle of the clone wars is fought and won

"Okay, so, this is our target. The Gehara factory. It's the last step on the metaphorical assembly line." Rex said as the camera's slowly panned around the briefing, trying to get a good shot. He ignored them, since he knew they'd stay in their lane.

"Metaphorical assembly line?" Jaig asked.

"Yes, as the clone wars dragged on, the separatists needed a more efficient way to produce droids. They made specialized factories that only produce a few parts, and assembled the droids in factories like this one. If we take this one out, they will not be able to produce more droids"

"Why would they put all their eggs in one basket like that?" Ahsoka asked.

"They're not, there are five of these. The 501st legion will take the other four. We'll focus on this one"

"So, what's our plan?" Jesse asked.

"We'll draw out their forces from the main entrance. This is a B1 factory, so aside from the Super Tactical Droid that's supposed to oversee the newly manufactured droids, that's pretty much the only type of droid we can expect to see. Our part should be a relatively easy battle."

"Okay, so what do we do when the droids are drawn out?" Ahsoka asked.

"That's where you and Jaig will come in. The two of you should be able to sneak into the tunnels below the factory and plant the bombs. The next step would be to sneak into the command centre and call all the droids back."

"Sounds like a plan" Jaig said.

"Alright. Dismissed" Rex said.

"And cut" one of the crewmen said.

"Commander?" one of the journalists asked "There were a few things in the plan that don't make sense to us. Could you clarify them so we can edit that into it?"

"Of course"

"Why does the 501st take four factories while the 332nd takes one?" she asked, before pushing her recorder in his face.

"The 501st is a legion, so that's four battalions. The 332nd is a battalion. So it's one battalion per factory"

"And... How does that work?"

Rex just sighed. "It's a long story, and we don't have time to get into that. We need to move out soon. All you need to know is that Skywalker is... chaotic when it comes to paperwork and organisation"

"Alright. So... How are we going to film this?"

"Well, I thought it would be best if you guys stayed out of the actual combat. We'll give you the helmet cam footage and you can fly a cam drone, but I can't guarantee you their safety"

"Alright, thank you sir."

Rex just nodded and got to work.

* * *

Jaig checked her map. "I think we should be going that way."

"Are you sure?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yeah, unless this map is wrong. Which we can't rule out." Jaig said, as she showed her mother the map of the Geonosian Catacombs.

"Well, it's probably right..." Ahsoka said, but Jaig could tell that something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" she asked as they walked through the tunnel.

"I'm fine. It's just that this mission feels familiar"

"Oh, okay" Jaig said, not wanting to ask about it since her helmet cam footage would be given to the war correspondents.

"I did the same thing with Barriss"

"That's the person who..." Jaig said before she remembered that this was much more recent for this version of her mother, and so it might still be a sensitive subject.

"Who betrayed me, yes." she said "It's just... sad"

"Sad? Why? I'd be furious." Jaig asked.

"Well, I suppose that would make sense. And I wouldn't blame you but... She wasn't a bad person."

"She still did a bad thing." Jaig said.

"I know, and she should be held accountable for that. But I understand why she did what she did." Ahsoka said as they rounded another corner.

"What happened?" Jaig asked

"She was a healer. She took care of the wounded, only to send them back into battle to get wounded again. Or worse."

Jaig just nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Like most healers, she was very compassionate." Ahsoka followed up anyway "She felt the pain the clones felt much more acutely than I ever did. I'm with them on the front lines, I prevent them from getting hurt. But she saw them at their worst for much longer. I can understand how it got to the point where she just couldn't take it anymore."

"What do you mean with _she felt it more acutely_?" Jaig asked. From what she had heard, Barriss wasn't as close to the clones as Ahsoka had been. She'd been better with the no attachment thing.

"You feel someone else's pain if you try to heal them with the force. I was never any good at it, so I always let the medics just do their job."

Jaig just nodded and remembered how her mother had managed to show her the basics, but she had never been able to learn much force healing from it. She could do a scraped knee, but that wasn't a big injury anyway. Her mother could do bigger injuries, but not without exhausting herself. But she shouldn't discuss it now. As much as she wanted to talk about it, she didn't want to have her real past on record.

"I think we found the entrance to the factory" Ahsoka said, before shoving her saber into the ceiling.

Jaig followed her through the hole. They both knew they'd have to be stealthy during this part.

They planted the bombs silently, and then Ahsoka gestured "this way" and moved into a hallway.

They snuck up through the deserted droid factory. The factory was still running but it was entirely operated by B1 Battledroids, and they were easy to sneak past.

The command center on the other side of the room was being guarded by two clankers.

Jaig motioned for Ahsoka to stay behind one of the fuel pods as she peeked out over the top. She'd have a clear shot at both of them, but she only had her own blasters, and the DC-17 wasn't made for sniping ~~not like she was particularly good with a sniper rifle anyway.~~ She could shoot a sniper rifle, but she wasn't specialised in it for a reason. Her father would have been able to pull it off, even with his DC-17's, she knew that. But she wasn't naturally ambidextrous like he was. She carefully aimed at both of them, making sure both of her hands were steady before she pulled the trigger.

She fired.

The droid on the right was hit straight in the chest and fell, but she missed the left one. Blast!

"Is someone there?" the droid asked.

Jaig held her breath for a second. She had to calm down and steady her hand before trying again, and she had to do is fast.

"Must have been my imagination" the droid said, just as Jaig shot again and killed it.

"Let's go" she said as Ahsoka started to sprint across the room. Jaig turned off the helmet cam so they wouldn't know she could use the force and then followed her.

As soon as she had caught up to her, Ahsoka entered the command center. Jaig turned the helmet cam back on just in time to catch Ahsoka cutting the droid in half.

Jaig immediately walked over to the console and ordered the droids to retreat.

* * *

"Rex, the droids are retreating!" Fives yelled out.

"Good." Rex said. He looked at the detonator on his belt. He was supposed to blow up the factory as soon as the droids were inside, but his wife and kid were still inside. He couldn't contact them either, since that would ruin their stealth mission. Even if no noise was made, the droids could pick up on the signal.

Then, his comm beeped.

"Rex?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes?" he asked.

"We made it out."

"That's good to hear." he said as he watched the last droids go inside. "I'll blow it up soon. Get somewhere safe and with a nice view."

"Roger" Ahsoka said, before cutting the connection.

Rex send out a signal to the journalists too. They weren't a priority, but they still had time to get themselves a good shot. He grabbed the detonator.

Then, he opened the open comm. He knew it was slightly immature to count down, but he couldn't resist.

"Okay, blowing up the factory in 3... 2... 1... Now."

He pressed the button and the bombs went off. It wasn't the best explosion in terms of looks, there was mostly sand and dust and no colourful flames like Rhydonium explosions gave. But there was a certain grace to how the building collapsed into the dust cloud.

The final battle had been won.


	5. Return to Coruscant (again)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the way back to Coruscant (from Geonosis this time) Rex and Jaig are interviewed.
> 
> Rex also has something planned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the unoriginal name

On the way back to Coruscant, they were all in a mixed mood, and Jaig could see it from where she sat on her crate in one of the hallways. Her uncles were all both equally elated and confused.

And in a way, she felt the same way. Ever since she arrived in the past, this war had been her life. She knew she wasn't anywhere near as used to it as the men, but she felt like she understood it a little now, especially now that her old life felt so distant.

Now, when she thought about her parents, she saw their younger counter parts. She didn't really know how to feel about that. She would never forget the older versions of her parents, but she had managed to move on.

"Jaig, can we talk to you?" the female journalist from before asked. No one on board actually knew her name, but she didn't seem to mind. She always asked more about the clones anyway, and Jaig really appreciated that senator Amidala had picked her and her team.

"Of course" Jaig said, as she sat up a little straighter. The camera started rolling.

"We wanted to interview you since you are one of the few... Well, the only non-Jedi natural born soldier. What made you join up?"

Jaig considered her answer for a moment. She couldn't be honest. She couldn't explain her actual reasons. They wouldn't understand. But she had anticipated this and had a story ready.

"Well... I was found as an infant by Mandalorian mercenaries. I was most likely abandoned since I'm a hybrid. I was trained as a warrior, despite Mandalore being pacifist. My parents worked as a mechanic and a blacksmiths, but I always wanted to be a warrior. So, after my parents were killed by separatists, I decided to join the republic army, both to avenge their deaths and to become a warrior."

"Interesting. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your parents? Were they political activists?"

"No, they were not. It might have been a mix up. Their battle droids aren't exactly smart. The fact that it had been an accident made it worse. I wanted those clankers scrapped"

"How do you feel about the peace being restored then?"

"Honestly, much better. The more I worked with the clones, the more I wanted to end it for them. They didn't deserve to fight this war, not with the amount of losses they suffered."

"So you hold no ill will against the former Separatists?"

"No." she said coolly "Not if they keep the peace"

"How did you manage to become an ARC trooper?"

"Well, the training they give to natural born soldiers is easier since they can't justify giving us the actual training. It'd be too dangerous" she said, trying to look as if she had taken that undeserved privilege, instead of taking the actual test the same way the clones had. "I can still do the job, but only due to my previous training"

The journalist nodded before moving on to the next question "What do you plan on doing after the war?"

"I wanted to go to college. I don't know what yet. I have time to figure that out now" she said. "I hope we all do"

"I hope so too. Do you think the clones' rights bill will pass?"

"We can hope, but I'm not too certain. I wouldn't be too surprised if they just decided to not do that and kept the clones in stasis until the next war"

"Thank you for your time. Do you know where we can find the commander?"

"I'll call him." she said as she commed her father.

"Dad? The journalists want to talk to you. Can you come over?"

"Sure thing" he said over the comm.

The camera man started laughing uncomfortably and Jaig realized what she had said.

"Please keep that off the record" Jaig said as her lekku turned pink.

"Of course" the journalist said.

Rex showed up.

"What happened?" he asked as he looked at both Jaig and the journalist.

"She accidentality called you dad" the camera man said, still trying to hide his laughter.

"Yeah, she does that occasionally. She lost her parents shortly before joining. Give her a break." Rex said, annoyed.

"Yes sir. Of course" the camera man said, composing himself.

His colleague just shook her had and turned to Rex. "Is it alright if we ask you some questions about your plans for the future?"

"Of course" Rex said.

"What would your plans be for after the war if this bill passes?"

Rex considered it for a moment, but then he decided to just be honest. "I want to move in with my girlfriend and then figure it out from there"

"Oh, can you tell us about her?"

"Yeah, she's amazing. She's my everything. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Even if it won't be that long."

"Why would it not be that long?" the reporter asked.

Rex just sighed. "The accelerated ageing, of course"

The journalist just stayed quiet.

"The... what?" the camera man asked.

"Accelerated ageing" Jaig said. "Didn't you guys know?"

"We knew you guys were... uhm... grown faster. Does it not stop when you stop growing?" the journalist asked carefully.

"No, the Kaminoans said it wouldn't matter since we wouldn't live that long anyway" Rex said.

"But... They should have known some clones would survive if they won the war?"

"They don't really care for us." Rex said drily "The cloners really see us as product, and we have an expiration date."

"Oh... I'm sorry." The journalist said.

"Thanks, but none of us really care what they think" Rex said, sounding a bit more annoyed "Was that everything?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable"

"Don't worry. It's not your fault." he said as he walked away.

Jaig excused herself to and followed him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"No. It just sucks" he said.

"I know." she said.

"I really wish I had the normal ageing gene" he said.

"You do. It's just that the other one is dominant" Jaig offered.

"That doesn't really help" Rex said.

"Well, maybe they can still do something. The longnecks I mean"

"I doubt they would unless they get paid for it" Rex said

"Yeah, you're probably right" Jaig said as she still kept thinking about it. She knew the chance was unlikely, but she might be able to get something done? Maybe Senator Amidala would be able to help?

"Oh, speaking of ageing... Ahsoka is turning 18 soon. I was thinking of proposing."

"You should" Jaig said "I'm sure she'll say yes"

"Do you think I can do it on her birthday? It's in two weeks"

"Yeah, probably. You asked her today in my timeline and she said yes, and that was after being stuck in a bunker with you since order 66"

"Wow... Okay, I'll propose on her birthday. Do you think I should just ask her at 79's?"

"Maybe. I'll ask her first." Jaig said "I think I can safely ask if she's expecting it without seeming suspicious"

"Yeah, do that. Thanks Jaig. For everything. I don't know where I'd be without you"

"I just said you'd be in that bunker on Mandalore" she said.

Rex smirked at her, but she could still tell he was nervous about what news they'd get when they arrived on Coruscant the next day. The vote would happen that day.

Hopefully, it would be in their favour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. And good luck with quarantining


	6. Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After they come back, Rex and Ahsoka marry. Twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I didn't update last week, wasn't feeling too well mentally and couldn't get this chapter right. It's longer now than the original version though (it ended at the fade to black in the outline)

When they walked down the ramp, Ahsoka was greeted by Anakin who ran up to her and hugged her tight.

"Where is this coming from?" she asked.

"Well, it is your birthday, and I'm excited to finally have you back here permanently. Plus, we have news for you" Anakin said as he let her go and turned to the troops. "All of you"

"What is it, General?" Rex asked.

"The Kaminoans have found a cure for the accelerated ageing"

The whole 332nd fell quiet.

"We'll... We'll be able to live a full life?" Rex asked.

"Well... Kinda?" Anakin said, suddenly taken a back.

"That's why I didn't want to tell them" Obi-Wan said, hiding his hand in his face.

"Is... Is something wrong?" Jaig asked.

"No, but Anakin shared the news too early. And the wrong news at that."

"What's the news you were supposed to give?" Ahsoka asked Anakin.

"Padme's bill passed. You'll be getting sentient rights soon"

Cheers erupted.

Rex stepped closer to Anakin. "Sir, what were you saying about the accelerated ageing cure?"

"There has been some development in that direction, but nothing useful." Obi-Wan elaborated "They tested a cure on Coruscanti houseflies, but those only have a life expectancy of three weeks even without the accelerated aging. They made a batch of them that aged twice as fast, and then cured them at the biological age of one week. They lived for another two. But that doesn't mean that it will work on humans, or that the republic is willing fund it. There's a decent chance it will pass, but it will take a lot of time."

"How much time?" Rex asked.

"Possibly years" Obi-Wan said

Rex sighed.

"But they're doing something?" Anakin said.

"Anakin, they're not doing enough. And knowing that a cure is most likely possible, but just not in the budget will make it worse" Obi-Wan said "That's why I only wanted to announce it after that bill passed"

And that's when Anakin finally seemed to realize what was wrong.

"Rex, I'm sorry. I-"

"It's okay, General." Rex said "It's not like this changes anything"

"What will happen to the cadets on Kamino?" Jaig asked, trying to change the subject.

"They'll be put up for adoption if suitable parents are found. The Jedi volunteered to check the potential parents to see if they are suitable."

Fives and Echo immediately joined in on the conversation.

"General, are those cadets from the battle of Kamino still there?" Fives asked.

"Yeah, those 322nd kids were hella cute" Echo said.

"Are you guys looking to adopt them?" Anakin asked.

"Yeah, of course" Fives said

"Well, we can go next week. I really want the two of you to think about it first."

"Master, can we come too? We've been thinking of getting more kids" Ahsoka asked "And now that I'm an adult, I should be able to adopt them, right"

"Okay, you two can come too" Anakin said "If Rex is okay with that?"

"Of course, why would she need my permission?"

"Because I'm not you CO anymore, and we should both agree to major decisions" she said, poking his chestplate playfully.

"I know, I know... Still takes some time getting used to that" he said before kissing her.

Ahsoka leaned into the kiss, despite the annoyance she felt from her former master and daughter.

"Ahsoka, do you have to do that in front of me?" Anakin asked slightly annoyed.

She just rolled her eyes at him. "Come with me"

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"I just want to be alone with you" she said. She could feel Jaig's annoyance flare up, even though she didn't say anything. She gave her daughter an apologetic look before she stared down Anakin as she dragged Rex away.

Jaig's annoyance was replaced with amusement, but Anakin became even more annoyed. She couldn't blame them, both of them had a decent reason to not want to think about what she was trying to do with Rex.

Still, she dragged him to their living quarters.

When they arrived there, she dragged him inside and pushed him against the wall before kissing him again, it was much more heated this time.

He kissed her back so she started undoing his utility belt.

"Ahsoka, wait" Rex said.

"What is it?" she asked "I thought you'd want to be taken out of your head for a while"

"Yeah, but I uhm... had something I wanted to ask you, and I promised myself I would ask you as soon as you turned 18, and we had the chance to be alone together."

"Oh?"

Rex took a deep breath. "I know you probably knew this was coming, considering what happened in Jaig's timeline. But..."

He pushed her back so he'd have more room and sank down on one knee.

"Ahsoka Tano, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" she said before pulling him up into her arms.

He leaned into in her, and she pulled him closer, gently rubbing his hair.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked.

"Honestly, as fast as possible. The paperwork at least"

"Why?" he asked

"It just seems more practical. We can have a wedding later."

"Yeah, that makes sense. Can we still do the Mandalorian wedding vows though?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course. When do you want to do them?"

"Now?"

"Okay."

"Okay. You know them, right?"

"Yeah" she said, before kissing him again.

"Okay. You go first. I'd feel more comfortable if you said them first, since you're not that fluent in Mandoa yet"

"I've been getting better" she teased.

"You have. But you aren't fluent with it yet, and this is legally binding on Mandalore. So I want to make sure you know what you're saying"

"Okay. _Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me’dinui an, mhi ba’juri verde._ " she said.

Rex smiled at her and nodded in approval and repeated the words. " _Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me’dinui an, mhi ba’juri verde._ "

She kissed him in response, and he kissed her back.

"So... now what?" He asked.

"We should make an appointment at city hall. I know it's free on monday, but you can only bring two witnesses. and we'll just sign the paper and that's all"

"Okay, but today it's Saturday evening. So tomorrow, we can ask Cody and Jaig if they'll be our witnesses and marry on paper the next day"

"Why Cody and Jaig?" she asked with a raised eye marking.

"Cody is my brother, and Jaig is our daughter. It makes sense. I know that this way I have two family members and you only one, but do you really want General Skywalker as a witness?"

"No" she laughed.

"Yeah, that's what I assumed. We'll probably have to wait in line and he's not gonna like that"

"I'd be easier to keep a toddler calm"

Rex smiled at her and pressed his forehead to hers.

"So... what do you want to do tonight?" he asked.

"You" she said as she kissed him again.

* * *

That Monday, they went to the court house.

It was a short ceremony. They just went in, took the vows and signed the paper. After that, they went to 79's to celebrate.

The bar was mostly empty, most of the clones had already drunk themselves into oblivion over the weekend and were currently trying to sleep off their hangovers in the barracks.

"So, What are your plans now?" Cody asked.

"College" Jaig said "I already told you"

"I know, but what major? General Kenobi told us there were different ones and that we need to consider our choice carefully, since the republic will only cover five years."

"What, the Republic will cover the cost? Why didn't I know?" Rex asked.

"Because mom dragged you off before he could." Jaig said "He told the rest of us. And I think I'm going into Computer science"

"Okay. I was thinking of going into law enforcement"

"So, basically the Coruscant Guard?" Rex teased.

"Nah, the police is different. People will call you to the action instead of you just waiting around. What about you and Ahsoka?"

"We haven't decided" Rex said.

"But I'm considering mechanical engineering. It should be easy, and I can get a degree while taking are of the kids we're going to adopt"

"I might become a stay at home dad if I can" Rex said "I can't exactly afford to miss out on them"

"What do you mean?" Cody asked.

"You know." Rex said coldly.

Jaig pushed Cody out of the booth and motioned for him to follow her as Ahsoka started to comfort Rex

"What's gotten into him?" Cody asked.

"He's realized how much the accelerated will affect his life. I always assumed he had come to terms with it, but I think he's just going through that now."

"Will it really matter that much?" Cody asked.

"Yes, if the empire hadn't killed him he would likely have died of old age within ten years after when I left the future. He was 64, biologically speaking. He would have retired at that age if his legal age matched his biological age. My mom would have been 44 by the time he'd be 80, and that's assuming he'd make it that far"

"Kriff" Cody said "And she'd have to raise you alone then?"

"Nope, I'd be 22. Old enough to move out, but only barely. He'd not be around to see me as an adult, and it's getting to him. Even though he can now see the parts of my life that he would have missed"

"Okay yeah, that's bad. And I didn't even really think about it" he said apologetically.

"That's fine, none of you did." She said "and General Skywalker gave the 501st even worse news that the clones weren't supposed to get yet"

"Oh okay. What is is?"

"I don't think I'm supposed to say it"

"I'll find out anyway. The 501st isn't know for subtlety"

"Fair." Jaig said "There might be a cure, but we're not sure if the Republic will pay for it or if it'll even make it to human testing"

"Okay, that's... that sucks"

"Yeah"

They sat in silence and looked at Rex and Ahsoka. Rex seemed to have calmed down a lot.

"So... there's something I've been meaning to ask" he said.

"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

'Did you meet me in the future? You kind of implied we did."

Jaig sighed "I suppose I can tell you, now that we know you won't end up that way"

"What way?"

"You... Weren't doing well in the future. We only met shortly, when I tried to rescue dad. He was transferred to the training facility on Lothal. He was killed there, and you helped me get out before I could get into trouble"

"Okay. Was I still okay outside of losing Rex?" he asked

"Not really... I mean you were willing to pick me over the Empire. You wouldn't have done that if you were happy there. The Empire wasn't known for being nice to anyone, but I know they treated clones like outdated equipment. I'm pretty sure you were one of the last few that was still alive" she said, becoming a bit quiet.

"Ah... I uhm... Thanks." He said "For saving me from that"

"No problem. I'm just glad things will be better this time" she said as she looked towards her parents, who seemed to have cheered up again. "And I can have a sibling now. I'm looking forward to that"

"Yeah, though I suppose it'll be quite different for you, since you'll be more than 7 minutes older than your younger brother" Cody said, gesturing to Rex, who was smiling again.

"Yeah, but still. I hope they'll get one that's close to my age though"

"Doubt it. They've changed the maturity age for clones from 20 to 16 to make up for the casualties. So I doubt they'll put them up for adoption."

"Yeah, but still. Nats are rarely the same age anyway, so few years age difference would be expected"

They fell silent, and looked at Rex and Ahsoka.

"Do you have someone special?" she asked.

"No, at least, I'm not sure if he feels the same way. We'll see"

"Ah, so I won't be getting an aunt then?" she teased.

"Nope, sorry" Cody said before tilting his head in Rex and Ahsoka's direction "Wanna go back and rejoin them?"

She nodded, and followed her uncle to where her parents were basically glued to each other now.

At least it wasn't a full on make out sesh, they were just cuddling. Which she could handle, even though she still felt a bit awkward.

Still, they had gotten married today. And Jaig couldn't be happier that they were all there, together as a family again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)


	7. Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rex and Ahsoka go to Kamino to adopt a child, but they end up coming back with more kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Well, I didn't really leave but this fic was hard to write because I'm basically tired all the time (school is still exhausting and I kinda spend my time on other fics) but I managed to finish this chapter after a bit of rewriting the whole thing. Sorry for the wait

The Twilight shuddered as they entered Kamino's cloudy atmosphere, and Rex grabbed Ahsoka's hand. He was nervous about returning to his home planet. This time would be different. They were going to adopt a brother for Jaig. If the longnecks would let him.

"You okay?" She asked

"Yeah, just nervous" He said "And we should've brought Jaig. It's going to be her brother"

"She said she didn't want to come" Ahsoka reasoned

"Yeah, because she didn't want them to find out. It wasn't her choice not to come, it's the longnecks' fault." Rex said

"Regardless, there was no way she could come without being suspicious. And she was very adamant about not wanting to adopt a clone herself and then we’d have explain why she’s here"

"I know." Rex said. "I just kind of wish she could come too. I wanted to show her where I grew up"

"You can probably do that some other time" Ahsoka assured him "Besides, we need to keep space in this ship for their batch." She gestured at Fives and Echo

"Do you know who you're gonna pick yet?" Echo asked

"I just want to get one of the younger ones" Rex said "We can't take a whole batch and I don't want to break up a batch when they're old enough to miss their batchmates."

"That's fair" Echo said "So that's gonna be one under four?"

"Yeah, if you're talking biological age." Rex said.

"Prepare for landing" the General said from the cockpit. "Are you guys excited?"

"YES!" Fives said "I can't wait to see that batch again"

"Yeah, me too" Echo said "And this time we can take them with us"

"Rex, Ahsoka, what about you?" Skywalker- no, Anakin, -said a he started the landing

"Honestly, I'm mostly nervous" Rex admitted. "I mean, Jaig is almost an adult and I didn't have to raise her. So in a way this is gonna be my first time parenting"

"I know you can do it. You dealt with Fives" the former Jedi joked.

"Hey!" the ARC Trooper in question said indignantly

Anakin stayed quiet with a smug look on his face as he touched down on the landing pad.

"Let's go" he said as he opened the doors of the Twilight

For once, it was not raining on Kamino. The sunlight burst through the clouds and hit the ocean around the cloning facility, making it appear a beautiful light blue.

They were greeted at the door by Taun We, the Prime minister's aide. The tall woman was usually the one to greet important guests, and they had probably recognized the Twilight as a Jedi ship.

"Master Jedi, we weren’t expecting you"

"Well, I wasn't going to let them fly my ship," he joked.

"Yes, of course" Taun We said, confusion clear on her usually hard to read face.

She gestured for them to follow, and they did.

After walking down a few hallways, the Kaminoan broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask. What inspired you to adopt one of the clones, Master Jedi?"

"Oh, I'm not a jedi anymore. And I'm not adopting anyone today, they are." he said as he gestured at the rest of them.

"Them?" she asked, clearly even more confused now

"Yes" the General said

"You are aware that these clones will need permission from their General to adopt their younger brothers?" the Kaminoan asked

"No, but they have it," Skywalker argued. "I'm their General"

The Kaminoan nodded and then turned to Ahsoka "How old are you?

"Eighteen, so I should be able to adopt," she said.

"Alright. I'll call in one of the scientists to walk you through the process." She said as she sent out a comm message.

"That's okay, we know who we want to adopt and where to find them." Echo said as Fives was already leaving.

Taun We turned to the General. "Are you gonna allow them to just walk off like that?"

"Yeah" he said "They know their way around here"

"Alright. General, I need you to fill out some paperwork with me.” Then, she turned to Rex and Ahsoka “Lara Se will accompany the both of you to pick one out.

Taun We left as another Kaminoan entered the room. She was shorter than Taun We, and looked young. She wore a standard lab coat and her eyes were an unusual shade of green, a colour Rex had never seen before on a longneck. 

“Hello, my name is Dr. Lara Se, but you can call me Lara. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Rex lied. “My name is Rex, and this is my wife Ahsoka”

“I’ll need your number as well,” she said.

“CT-7567” he said curtly.

“Thank you. I know you guys don’t like having numbers, but the computer system doesn’t accept names.” she said apologetically. “So, did you have anyone in specific you wanted to adopt?”

“No,” Ahsoka said “We were looking for one of the younger clones.”

“So.... What age specifically? We are sadly low on infants”

“Four, biologically speaking” Rex said. The Kaminoan typed something into her datapad

“Why are you low on infants?” Ahsoka asked

“Well, as you probably guess, we have stopped producing clones. Most civilians want to adopt the babies, and we’re currently out of them. If you want to, can I give you a tour of the incubator room? It’ll be the last chance to see the first trimester ones. They’re really small”

Ahsoka looked at Rex. 

“Wait, you want to see them?” Rex asked

“Yeah, I’m curious,” she admitted. 

“Well, alright. I’ll stick it out, but it’s just nothing new for me. I always walked past them while going to my training as a cadet, so I don’t see the need to go look at them.

“Okay, we’d love to see them.” Ahsoka said.

“Follow me then” Lara said as she walked into the hallway. They followed her.

They got into a large room full of towers lined with incubator tanks. The Kaminoan walked up to one of the towers and brought one of the tanks into the inspection area.

“This one was created three weeks ago. As you can see, he’s still very small, but he already has eyes and stubby little limbs. I keep saying he, but did you know that human embryo’s are all female by default? This one will soon signal that it needs testosterone to turn male, and then the tank will put it into the placenta, which will then put it into the bloodstream.”

“That’s interesting,” Ahsoka said as she looked at the small clone. He was only the size of a small bean, and approximately the same shape. He was floating around in a little sac near the “lid” of the jar, which was where the placenta was attached to. 

“We should let this one rest a little. They have a lot of growing to do, especially since we can’t stop the accelerated aging at this stage”

“Can you do it at another stage?” Rex asked

“Yes, we can do it on any clone that is still growing. But we only do it for the adopted clones. We cannot afford to let them grow at a normal rate here, so we want them to be independent and ready to move out as soon as possible. And this one won’t be up for adoption for another four months”

Rex nodded in agreement, and wanted to ask about the possibility of reversing if for adults clones when he heard a sob behind him.

He turned around. It came from behind one of the towers

“I’m sorry,” Lara said. “One of the cadets must have gotten lost.”

“It’s alright,” Rex said, walking over to the small clone. He sat behind the tower, his back to it and his arms around his knees. He looked to be around 8, and had blond, short buzzed hair, just like him. 

“Hey kid, are you okay?” he asked

The kid opened his eyes and looked at him, a little intimidated, like most cadets were when they encountered a high ranking adult clone. The first thing Rex noticed was the kid’s eyes. Unlike most of his brothers, his were bright blue. They stood in stark contrast with his tan skin.

“They’re gone,” he sobbed. “My batchmates, I mean. I’m sorry, sir. I’ll man up.”

“No, It’s okay,” Rex said. “I understand. I… I lost batchmates too”

“All of them?” the child asked

“All but one.” he confirmed

“I’m sorry. You’re right, mine are just adopted. I just… I’ll never see them again and who’d want a mutant like me?”

“I uhm... “ Rex said, but he realized he wasn’t sure what he could do to say to make him feel better. “I have the same mutation, minus the eyes”

“But you ended up being a soldier” he said “I’ll never have that chance. I just don’t know what’ll happen to me.”

“I know. But if there is one thing I learned, it’s that the right people don’t care about your mutations.”

“Thank you, sir.” he said. Rex patted his shoulder and got up.

“Don’t worry kid, I’m sure you’ll find your family”

He turned around to find Ahsoka was standing behind him. She made eye contact with him before kneeling down next to the child.

“What’s your name?” she asked. 

“Crash” he said.

“My name is Ahsoka Tano. This is my husband, Rex” she said. 

The child’s eyes widened. “You’re married to him?” he looked at Rex “Wait, are you Captain Rex of the 501st?” 

“Yeah, that’s right. Though I finally got promoted to Commander recently” Rex said sheepishly

“Are you here to adopt one of us?” he asked, his eyes filling with hope.

“Yeah” Ahsoka said

Rex nudged her. She looked up. He looked from the child to her and shot her an inquisitive look. She shot him one back. He nodded. She gave him a short nod back. They both knew what that meant. 

“Crash, would you want to come with us?” she asked.

“I’d love to” he said, getting up excitedly

“Alright,” Ahsoka said “Lara, we found- Where is she?”

Rex looked around. “I don’t see her either” 

“Lara Se?” Crash asked “She’s one of my favourite doctors”

“I never met her before” Rex admitted

“Yeah, she’s around your age” Crash said. “So she’s only worked here for two years” 

“That explains it” Rex said

“I found her” Ahsoka said, before running off to one of the other towers. 

Lara was checking on one of the larger fetuses, but she noticed Ahsoka coming towards her. “Oh, I’m sorry for walking off like that. This one just send the signal”

“What do you mean?”

“Fetuses will send a hormone through the umbilical cord when they’re ready to be born. Clones do the same thing when they’re ready to be taken out of their jar. This one will have to be taken out within a few hours”

“Can I do it?” Ahsoka asked

“What?” Rex asked.

“I want to do it.” she said “We can adopt him”

“But we already have Crash and Jaig?” Rex argued

“You have another son already?” Crash asked

“Daughter, and we’ll explain later” he said 

“We can adopt more?” Ahsoka asked

Rex considered it for a moment. He had come here for one child, but part of him still wanted a baby. And there was one right here, ready to be taken out of his jar. But he wasn’t sure if he could take care of it.

“Ahsoka, how are we going to take care of them?” he asked

“Oh, Right. It’ll take a while to raise then until they can stay home alone”

“Or I could stay home?” he offered

“What?”

“I could stay home and care for the kids. It’s not like I know what else to do with my life” he admitted

“Well, if you want to. But are you sure?” 

“Yes, I am” he said

“Well, are we allowed to adopt him too?” Ahsoka asked Lara

“Yes, you can adopt three of them. So you can still take the one you originally came for if you take this one”

Ahsoka gave Rex one last look, and he nodded. “We’ll take them” she said.

“Alright. I’ll unplug the tank” Lara said, typing something into the console.

A mechanical arm came from a door in the ground, grabbed the jar from it’s tower, holding up with the “lid” that had been attached to the tower pointing upwards, a few cables still attached to the tower. 

“How does his work?” Ahsoka asked

“Just unscrew the top, and pull him out.” she said. “After that you can cut the umbilical cord”

“Okay,” Ahsoka said, as she gently grabbed the lid and unscrewed it. There was a weird suctioning sound as the vacuum was broken. 

Rex watched as she put the lid aside and stuck her hands in the goo. He watched her wince, and had a small chuckle over it. Most people assumed the liquid they were grown in would be less viscous. It was a mix between amniotic fluid and bacta, not water like most people assumed. He considered telling her, but then he remembered most of that stuff had gone through the fetus’s kidneys. He wasn’t sure if that made it technically pee, but he wasn’t gonna let her think about that.

Ahsoka had some difficulty grabbing the child, which seemed to insist on floating head down while Ahsoka couldn’t get her arms into the jar’s opening properly. 

“Just pull him out by the legs” Lara advised

Ahsoka did as she was told and the clone immediately started screaming.

“Shhh, it’s okay” Ahsoka shushed the baby.

“That’s normal,” Lara assured her. “they do that to get the liquid out of their lungs”

The small clone still cried as Ahsoka pulled him close to her chest. He calmed down a little, and he put his mouth on her lek, latching on right away. 

“Oh, he’s hungry,” she said. 

“They always are,” Lara said. “I’ll get you a bottle of formula and some clamps so we can remove the umbilical cord.”

“I want to do it” Rex said

Ahsoka nodded and handed Rex their new son and her saber. Rex put him down on the table and cut the cord just like he had seen happen before. Usually, the clones were taken in for bacta treatment after this, where the stump would be removed and any scarring would be prevented. But they could let him keep his belly button.

“How does this look?” he asked

“That looks fine,” Ahsoka said.

Lara handed Ahsoka a bottle. Ahsoka grabbed her new son and gave him the bottle. He sucked eagerly, drinking a bit too fast. He spit up a bit of formula and Ahsoka immediately burped him. Rex smiled.

“Are you doing better?” she asked. The baby didn’t really respond, but he opened his eyes. 

Rex walked closer, and offered his finger to his new son. He looked at him, and Rex noticed that his right eye was green.

“Is his eye okay?” 

Lara came over and checked the infant over. “Ah, heterochromia,” she said. “Mutations are common in newer clones, since we were using older DNA.” 

“That’s alright. As long as he’s happy,” Ahsoka said.

“Oh yes,” Lara said. “I’m sure he will be.” 

They spent the next few hours getting instructions on how to take care of their baby, and then they went to the adoption center.

Rex carried the baby on the way there. “What do you want to call him?”

“I don’t know,” Ahsoka said. “You can pick. Something decent, this time.”

“Bits?” he offered.

“Sure,” Ahsoka said. “Is there a reason behind that?”

“One of my batch mates,” he said. “He was the first brother I lost. It was before the war even began. It just feels right.”

“Okay. Bits it is,” she said, tickling the baby's belly.

“Wait here,” Lara instructed before she went inside of one of the rooms. 

“Crash, do you want to hold him for a bit?” Rex asked.

“Sure, but I’ve never held a baby before,” Crash admitted

“It’s okay. Just mirror me and I’ll hand him over.” 

Rex handed the baby over to his new son and joined Ahsoka at the window. There was a padded area in which several young clones (around four years old, biologically) appeared to be tussling.

“Are they fighting?” Ahsoka asked.

“No,” Rex said. “Well, they kind of are. This is how they taught us to play.”

“Okay. Makes sense. I hope they aren’t getting hurt, though.”

“They are,” Rex said. “Just not too badly. They’re toddlers, they don’t know how to punch yet.”

As if on clue, one of the toddlers grabbed another one by the waist and pushed him down onto the mat, causing him to cry. He started crying as well, and ran off.

Ahsoka laughed. “Hard to imagine that you guys were ever like that.”

“Well, at least we can give a few a more normal childhood.”

At that moment, the doors slid open and Lara walked back in with one of the toddlers in her arms.

“This is CT-2856,” she said, putting the clone down. He immediately fell into parade rest clumsily. “But you can give him a new name if you want to.”

“Do you have a name?” Ahsoka said. 

“V- Vix,” the toddler babbled.

“I think he’s trying to say Five-Six,” Lara said. “We usually refer to the cadets by their last two numbers.”

“Do you like that name, Vix?”

“Yes Sir,” he said. 

“Okay,” Ahsoka said. “Then that’s your name.”

Rex silently agreed, as he had wanted the boy to name himself.

“So…” Lara said. “We’ll need to discuss signing the paperwork and stopping the accelerated aging.”

Rex perked up as that, and before he could stop himself he asked, “Do you think you’ll be able to cure me too?”

“No,” Lara said, sounding genuinely sorry. “We don’t know the correct dosage for adults, and we can’t check if it works because it’ll take years for them to noticeably age.”

Rex sighed. “So there’s nothing we can do?”

“No. Not unless we can somehow check if it works without waiting for them to age,” she said.

“How does it work?” Ahsoka asked.

“We essentially inject them with a substance that destroys the gene that causes the accelerated aging. The defective gene will be ignored, and the normally recessive regular gene will be used instead, causing them to age normally.”

“Sounds like it could still work for adults in theory,” Ahsoka said.

“Yes, but there is no way to check how many injections it takes to change all the cells in their body,” Lara said solemnly.

“Can’t you try some kind of test to see if it works?” Rex asked.

“No, this isn’t a normal bioluminescence gene injection. Those are visible, at least to us. You humanoids can’t see UV so you wouldn’t be able to see it.” 

“Would doing both mean you can check progress on them at the same time?” Ahsoka asked.

Lara opened her mouth, then closed it. She blinked slowly and began making notes. “I’ll have to get back to you on that. Let’s just get the paperwork done.”

* * *

An hour later, Rex and Ahsoka walked out of the facility with their new sons. Rex held Bits in his arms. The baby slept calmly.

“Jaig is going to be pretty surprised when we show up with three kids instead of one,” Ahsoka said.

“Yeah. We should explain the situation to them too,” Rex said, before looking at Bits. “Well, maybe not him.”

Ahsoka nodded. “Crash, Vix, we should talk about your older sister, Jaig. She’s a bit older then you guys.”

“In fact, she’s one and a half years younger then your mom.” Rex said “That’s because-”

Before Rex could finish the story, he heard the door to the cloning facility open behind him and General Skywalker’s voice rang out. “Did you really have to do that?” Anakin asked.

Rex turned around and saw his former General come out with Fives, Echo and the four cadets they had met during the Battle of Kamino.

“Apparently,” Echo said. “It was his idea though.” 

“What did they do this time?” Ahsoka asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“The little shits got married,” Anakin said. 

“To who?” Rex asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Each other,” Anakin scoffed.

“What?” Ahsoka asked.

“It was necessary to let us adopt them,” Fives said.

“I mean, in hindsight we could’ve just asked our General to stick up for us,” Echo said.

“Well, what’s done is done,” Fives said. “We are intending to raise these kids together, so we do intend to follow the vows.”

Echo sighed. “I’d like to point out this isn’t that kind of thing. It’s purely platonic, and Fives mostly wanted to do it to piss off the longnecks.”

“And it’s easier in terms of paperwork,” Fives added.

Rex sighed and walked into the Twilight, followed by Ahsoka, Vix and Crash. “Do you ever wonder what being an only child is like?” he asked her.

“I am one. It’s a peaceful life,” she said, before jokingly adding, “Well, the first fourteen years anyway.”

Rex chuckled. 

“Are we that bad?” Fives asked.

“Yes,” Rex said.

Fives just rolled his eyes.

“Anyway,” Rex said. “These are your new nephews: Crash, Vix and Bits.” 

“”Jax, Hotshot, 1151 and 1174,” Fives said. “We’re still waiting for the last two to pick a name.”

“It’s good to formally meet you,” Rex said. “I remember you boys from the Battle of Kamino.”

The boys looked excited but Anakin interrupted them again. “Let’s get back to Coruscant!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for taking so long. And thank you for still leaving kudos and comments on here. it really helped keep me motivated :)


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